Blank, The Memory Game
by chipmunkwashere
Summary: Stripped of their pasts, a group of Tamers and Trainers find that they have become the pieces to an unsolved puzzle. Their search for truth, virtue and home begins… [Crossover]
1. Awakenings, Takato

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Yu-Gi-Oh, Digimon or Pokémon franchises. All copyrighted materials belong to the appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

**Author's Notes:** My first Yu-Gi-Oh fic which also happens to be a major crossover. For starters, it's going to have characters from the Pokémon and Digimon anime, and possibly more as I continue to plot.

** Blank, The Memory Game **

.: A Tactless Tales Production :.

**Chapter 1**

_Awakenings, Takato…_

He could feel the muscles in his cheeks struggle awake.

It was still dark, as expected when seen through shut eyes. They refused to respond the orders his brain sent them, stuttering wearily instead. He couldn't remember the last time he was this tired. Then he realised, that that was because he had never been this tired before.

His arms felt tense, his legs long bricks extending from his level resting chest. The air was cold and extremely heavy, pressing down on him, further immobilizing his already stiff body. But … wasn't it supposed to be summer? For the moment, he could only hope the small warmth raising and dropping his chest in faint motions would spread to the rest of him.

After what felt like hours of forming half answers to rising questions, his fingers finally learnt to twitch again. But the instinctive search for the closet thread of coverlet returned strange results.

The mattress beneath him was hard and frozen. As his palms continued to wonder about the cold surface he slept on, it became obvious that this was not a mattress at all, not even a bed in fact. It felt much more like … the floor! He'd fallen off the bed a fair share during his younger days, but the abrupt crash was always enough to disturb him from even the deepest of sleeps. There had to be another explanation.

Then, another shocking realisation. Somewhere in the past few minutes, his eyes had found the strength to awaken. Yet, it was all still dark!

The shock of even the slightest possibility of blindness hit him hard, investing enough fear to have him push through fatigued muscle in a frantic attempt to reach a sitting position. Swallowing down a dry throat, he panicked about the black realm until he discovered a hard wall with his back. He groaned loudly at the sudden impact.

A door creak startled him into an upright position against the wall. From as far as he could see across the room, an extremely luminous white invaded the area, burning his eyes that had adapted to prior darkness. The light took the rectangular form a door with streaks sprouting out in all directions.

He squinted ahead, slowly getting re-acquainted with the light, and saw a petit shadow standing in the doorway. Given its small frame and the outline of a skirt, he concluded the figure was a girl. As she approached him, the darkness that basked around her form was converted to pure white, progressively revealing her features.

Long strands of lavender hair fell about her shoulders, varying slightly from the darker, navy tone of her knee length skirt. Her mauve eyes stared at him directly, almost questioning, then they turned thankful. She formed a weak smile, her rosy lips quite a contrast from her pale complexion.

"Takato!" She suddenly squealed in excitement. His heart jumped to the heights her high pitch took it. "I knew you'd be okay, I told them you'd be okay!"

Takato thought of confessing his confusion but his blank face did it all for him. She sighed, frowning sadly at him.

"It's me! Visyaki! But…" Her big eyes grew miserable. "You don't remember do you? Not me … Not anything." She sighed again, tilting her head a little. "I know they said you wouldn't remember anything. That you'd have to work for it, but…" She took a long blink. "I don't know. It sounds selfish, but, I just thought … you'd remember me, at least…"

Having seen her smile when she first recognized him, he would have done anything to have it replace the disappointment etched into her features at the moment. He looked at her, narrowing his eyes as he tried to force the memories back. But all the strain in the world wouldn't help him recover what he lost. "I'm sorry…"

She let out a huge sigh and dipped her head sadly. It was strange; as far as he knew, he had never met this girl, yet, to see her like this … upset him.

"It's okay." She smiled bravely, troubled eyes betraying her. "I should thank them anyway, and so should you. At least you're back, right? And they did say you would recover fully if you put your heart to it. They're actually hoping for it as much as I am. They need you too."

"They?" A barrage of questions flooded his mind. He couldn't hold them any longer. "Where am I? And, who exactly are you? Why am I here? And why -"

She raised a hand to calm him. "You'll find out soon enough," is all she said. "Here," she lowered an open hand to him. "Stand up."

With her help, he did just that. It felt oddly comfortable to be on his feet again. Now standing, he looked down at her shorter frame. If she hadn't raised her eyes, she'd have been looking straight at his chest.

"Three things." Without warning she grabbed hold of his hand. A bluish mist shrouded her small hand, before wafting over to his wrist. Its chilly aura caught him off guard, causing him to flinch a little. "Relax," she instructed.

He watched in awe as the mist began to materialize into some sort of device around his wrist.

"Duel Disk!" She announced at the second the transformation was complete. She grabbed his other hand, and in much the same fashion, a pack of cards had materialised in his palm. "Deck! Don't worry. I made it myself, with all your favourite cards! And I put a little manual there, just in case." She winked. "And finally…"

Her palms grabbed onto either side of his head as she pulled her face uncomfortably close to his. He couldn't deny her touch was warm, and with her face so close to his it was so much easier to notice how somewhat attractive her features were and how he… he blushed at the thought and quickly ripped his gaze away from her eyes.

"Goggles!" She giggled. He hadn't even felt them form around his head. "Yep. That's it. That's all you'll need for now. I better send you off. You've got a long way to go!"

"Wait!" He surprised himself with the urgent request. "Wait, you mean you're leaving me alone? Again?"

She frowned. "Sorry, but this isn't the time or place for a heartening reunion. What I can promise is that this isn't the last time I'll see you!' She said, suddenly cheering up. "Tata!"

And with a snap of her fingers, everything shone brighter and brighter, until he was forced to shut his eyes…

** End of Chapter 1 **


	2. Decisions, Ash

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Yu-Gi-Oh, Digimon or Pokémon franchises. All copyrighted materials belong to the appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

** Blank, The Memory Game **

.: A Tactless Tales Production :.

**Chapter 2**

_Decisions, Ash…_

"She's succeeded."

"I know, Kaiba." Rika contemplated with arms crossed above her chest. Distracted lavender eyes barely acknowledged the other presence in the room, staring blankly at the ancient symbols carved into the bronzed walls. One question surfaced from her pool of gathered thoughts. Did the little runt really have enough backbone to go through with the sacrifice?

"You realise," Kaiba dropped his arms to his sides and turned to her. "He will be searching for you."

Of course she knew this already. She had no response for his redundant information.

"And he's destined to defeat you upon his return."

She chuckled at this. Kaiba's affinity for myths and legends grew more ridiculous by the second. Was he aware of how much he offended her choice of allies every time he spoke this way? She turned to him, sincerity plagued in her chilly gaze. "Why must you always persist in believing that nonsense? The mere fact that he had to be revived pokes at the flaws in your faith."

Kaiba folded his arms and shut his eyes. She could tell he was re-thinking his precious scriptures, shifting and churning its words to keep it in line with his sense. One wrong prediction should've been enough to blemish the trust he had in it. But instead, he chose to dance around the many potholes in the text, stubborn to open his eyes to the truth around him, pointlessly deceiving himself in his desperation to be right.

A corner of his lips lifted. His eyes dawned with a new realisation. It looked promising. "We'll see."

She should've expected as much. He turned away, white cape whipping around behind him. "Are you going to find him?" She stopped him in his stride.

"Have you already forgotten that I'm no longer under your order?" He said, not turning to face her. "My whereabouts are none of your concern."

"Kaiba," she stopped him again. "The Digital World was in perfect order before you arrived and polluted it with your monsters. As you've so dearly pointed out, you're of no use to me anymore. You may take your leave of this place now. And don't forget to take all your filth with you." She lowered her eyes. "I suspect you can accomplish that with your own free will. I'm not interested in getting involved, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that either."

Kaiba remained still, thinking for a minute before walking away silently.

ooOOoo

Ash had a look of worry in his eyes as he investigated the card in his hand. The brownish-orange texture inside its thick, black border represented more than just a colour. Cards of this nature were categorised as 'Effect Monsters'. How could his best friend ever be categorised as a 'monster'?

Like any other Duel Monsters card, this one possessed three blocks of information. The centre block held the card's visual description. The image of a round, yellow face stared back at him with small blackberry eyes. Two rosy patches decorated its puffy cheeks. He imagined that's where most girls drew the idea that it was cute. Its narrow, black-tipped ears stood in 'v' form, pointing upwards toward the top block of information.

"Pikachu…" He read the name in a longing whisper. One moment he was sleeping peacefully by Ash's ear, the next he was trapped in this frame of thin cardboard. No matter how much he thought of it, Ash knew he wouldn't understand how it all happened.

Rather than looking at the problem, he had to consider solutions; even if the only solution insight seemed selfish?

What she proposed was a trade off, one damned fate for another. Ash didn't know any soul that deserved to be in Pikachu's situation, least of all Pikachu. But his life promise to protect his Pokémon meant that didn't matter.

He glanced over the card once more then lifted his eyes. His hand balled into a fist. His mind was made up. He placed the card face down on top of his deck before pocketing the small box holding the pack of cards.

ooOOoo

Ancient riddles were carved into the curved walls of the room, depicting olden day customs and tales. Or at least that's what Ash always thought of the Egyptian drawings and symbols. They said that the civilizations that lived back then were primitive but this evidence proved otherwise.

He shook his head. His focus was misled. What he should've been worried about was the prominent figure at the centre of the golden shrine.

A purple cloak was draped down its unmoving form and over its heels. As Ash climbed the short staircase that led to her, he realised she wasn't that tall at all. They were in fact roundabout the same height, his league cap adding a little extra to his five-foot-four stature.

Even as he came within steps of her presence, she hadn't made her awareness obvious. For some reason, it didn't seem right to interrupt the silence just yet. He held a wrist beneath his waist and simply marvelled at the circular chamber before his eyes came back to rest at her.

Her auburn hair was shaped neatly behind her ears, a bun tied high up with spiky tips pointing to the ceiling behind her. "So you've made up your mind," she concluded, lifting her head a little.

Ash flinched at the abrupt start, but quickly realised that the teenage girl's voice was nothing to fear. She seemed calm enough. He waited for her to turn and face him, but it never came. "Yeah, I-I'll … do it," he said, not accustomed to talking to a person's back. "But only if you promise to free Pikachu like you said you would!"

He almost quivered as she slowly turned to him. Her movements were slow, yet unexpected. A cascade of reddish-brown locks hovered about her brow, the tips barely touching her thin eyebrows. She had two long bangs falling before her ears; one dedicated to each ear. Her lavender eyes conveyed little emotion, concealing all but a calm severity in her firm gaze.

"Succeed, and I will." Her lips appeared to be the only flexible part of her face.

Ash considered her expression. Her face was of a faint scarlet complexion. Seeing as her words came calm and her tempo smooth, he could only assume it was her natural tone and not an indication of anger or some other emotion. He nodded, though still a little unsure of something. "But, how do I know you can even help me at all?" he was almost afraid to ask.

"Are you not aware of who I am? I'm the Digimon Queen," Rika informed him matter-of-factly. "Know this, and you know I can help you."

Well, it was the only hope he had. He couldn't afford not to believe her. "Okay then," he nodded.

** End of Chapter 2 **


	3. A Face To Match A Name

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Yu-Gi-Oh, Digimon or Pokémon franchises. All copyrighted materials belong to the appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

** Blank, The Memory Game **

.: A Tactless Tales Production :.

**Chapter 3**

_A face to match a name…_

There was something familiar about Takato's attire, even though he couldn't remember it precisely. His gray shorts fitted loosely over his legs, covering him down around the centre of swinging shins. He could feel these were amongst the favourites of his wardrobe. Despite their length, they were comfortable and easy to move in. Not to mention their wealthy supply of pockets were bound to make travelling more convenient. He pulled out a small, rectangular box from his side pocket and placed it next to him on the low cliff he sat on.

The body of water sleeping below his dangling, green sneakers sparkled beautifully in the open sun. The surrounding air was touched with a hint of coolness. Takato smiled his appreciation for the perfect weather, taking in the scent of spring given off by the colourful plant life in the near distance.

The brown bangs that fell to either side of his face danced to the beat of the slow breeze. He would've never let his hair grow this long willingly. A single thin, brunette strip hung around between his eyes. Thankfully the back was in more order, having been tied in a short, low ponytail with a blue band.

He looked at the reflection in the water. His jaw was clearly defined at the bottom of a lucid face. He wasn't doing so badly for a teenager, he thought, having seen no blemishes in the reflection. He would probably have to lose the goggles though. The yellow band against its blue eyes didn't appear as fashionable as it may have been when he used to like it.

He tugged it off and set it in his laps. _Much better_, he sighed in relief. He took hold of the deck he previously pulled out. If Visyaki felt it necessary to produce the cards, they had to hold some sort of significance. So far, he had read the guidebook she provided him with, at least a dozen times, cover to cover. It was safe to assume he grasped the basic knowledge of the game. Next, he would turn direct his attention to his deck.

"Magic card, and that symbol's … for quickplay! A Quickplay Magic Card!" He recited each card's attribute and type as he explored the deck. He found that his own voice always helped him remember things. Speaking out the material was the best way to prepare; it was proof positive as the results of his tests would show. _Tests_ … his eyes suddenly shut.

_Tests, tests … school … _a storm of second-long clips stampeded through his mind … _Kazu!_ _A memory! _

He opened his eyes, suddenly breathing at a rushed paced. His name was Takato, fifteen years old, in ninth grade, at … at a high school. Its name didn't come back to him, but Kazu did! Kazu was one his best friends at school! A forgotten happiness surged through his body. They'd spend their lunch breaks together, and walked home from school side by side, and they loved to talk about cards…

_0-0-0_

… _The cards he remembered looked nothing like the ones in the pack he was currently studying however. Their backs were prominently green, with blue borders and spherical symbols at the centre. He recalled a moment Kazu gave him one card; his lips were moving, but Takato couldn't hear what he saying. His eyes were full of worry, tears running down his black pitched cheeks. "Why? What's wrong, Kazu?"_

_Kazu's lips parted even further as he spoke. Even in mute, Takato could tell he was shouting. "What's wrong!?" Takato tried again, his nerves beginning to shiver. Then it dawned on him. If he couldn't hear Kazu, chances were Kazu couldn't hear him either._

_He would have to look elsewhere for more information. As soon as he thought of it, the scene's background became apparent. The city behind Kazu was engulfed in flames, and black puffs of smog populated the blood-red heavens. Takato's stomach cringed as he noticed the streets were littered with human corpses, some so burnt they were hardly distinguishable._

_His hand lifted to shield his nose from the stench when it was brought right back down by Kazu. Kazu shook his wrist furiously, desperately trying to bring his attention to something. The card, Takato realised, holding it up in front of him._

_There must've been something about the card that could help the situation. But what was it?_

_Takato tried to turn it so he could see its face, but he was shocked to find he couldn't. His fingers turned as hard as they could but the card wouldn't budge, like a tap shut too tight. _

"_What's on the other side of the card!?!?" He shouted at Kazu, despite the knowledge that the young boy couldn't hear him. _

_He screamed out loud as his fingers gave one final twist… _

_0-0-0_

A gasp brought him back to life. He wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand. The green fields, the clear pond, the tall trees, the chirping, it was all back.

His fist slammed into the ground. He was so happy to remember Kazu, why did the memory have to end like that?

To further sour his disappointment, he didn't learn what secrets that card held, and why it was so important. The flashback provided more questions than it did answers, if it was a flashback at all. He wasn't even sure if those events actually happened. Probably not. What role would he be playing in such a horrid situation anyway? The most compromised plan of action for him would be to take cover under his bed.

Maybe it was a glimpse at the future. He swallowed at the possibility. Whatever it was, he needed to find answers. Maybe he could stop it from happening.

How did he get there in the first place? He traced back his steps in his mind.

… _Then I shut my eyes …_

He did as he thought. His lids pressed harder against his cheeks, urging the darkness to emit the images he wanted to see.

"Hi!"

The excited shrill hit his conscious hard, plunging him into the waters below with a big splash. His hair was dark and damp, stuck to his face like a drenched mop as his head surfaced. He jerked his head backward, soaked tendrils thrusting droplets about as they were whipped back in position. A look of sheer irritation washed over his face.

His elbows climbed back to the ground he had been sitting on. He looked at the pair of red, tennis shoes in front of him curiously.

"Need help?" The female voice offered from above.

"No thanks." Using his grounded forearms as leverage, he pulled himself back to his feet. He stepped away from his cards in a hurry, realising his dripping clothes could be hazardous to their perfect condition.

The girl, standing a shoulder taller him, looked on, almost in awe. Her ocean-blue eyes bounced up and down his height mockingly. "Haven't you ever heard of a fishing rod?"

"Wha-?" Takato said in shock, having expected an apology instead of a smart comment. He looked the girl over as he continued to squeeze his shirt. Unruly carroty hair was spiked at the tips, small cascades falling between her eyebrows, and a prickly bun to the left contained by a navy hair band. "Haven't you ever heard of, um, knocking?" It was all he could think of.

She put a thoughtful finger to her chin, slim arm extending from a small yellow t-shirt that barely covered her shoulders. Her brow creased in concentration. She must not have realised how curious her gaze was. If she had, she would've spoken much sooner. "Are you Ash?"

"Am I what?" Takato retorted. He wasn't sure what to make of the funny question. He should've expected as much from a funny looking girl. Long, slender legs extended from a tiny pair of denim shorts. He deduced from her somewhat scrawny figure that she was a teenager, maybe even his age.

"Ash! I'm looking for someone named Ash, are you him?" She raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Nope." He found an odd satisfaction in denying her suspicions. "My name's Takato." She took a step back as his fingers jostled through his wet hair. "Do I look like Ash to you?" he asked mockingly.

She rolled her shoulders. "I don't know."

If she hadn't held a straight face, he would've been sure she was fooling around. "So, you're telling me…" He hopped on foot, head tilted to the side to empty the water in his ear. "You're looking for someone, and all you know is their first name? You have no idea what he looks like?" He assumed at this point Ash was a guy if she thought he could be him. "That's very smart."

"Yep," she seemed to agree with his sarcastic remark. "Almost as smart as bathing with your clothes on."

He glared upon her satisfied grin with irritation. This, coming from the reason he fell into the water in the first place. The agitation churned in his fingers, imagining the wet shirt was her neck as they squeezed with a passion. "Now, if you're done, you'll have to excuse me. I need to get back to--" He eyed the jumble of cards by her feet, "training."

"I'd say," unfortunately, she continued to speak even as he sat with his back turned to her. She slouched, hands on her knees, looking over his shoulder to what he was reading. "That handbook was specifically designed for amateur Duellists."

Takato loathed the statement before it even registered in his mind. Technically, he knew she was right, but it was the arrogance reeking in the words she voiced that made him wish she wasn't. Without so much as an invite, she took an unwelcome seat beside him.

"So, Takato," she started innocently. "What are **you** doing here? Oh, and my name's Misty by the way."

That was the first plausible thing he heard her say; and a very good question too. His presence in this world was something not even he had a rational explanation for. He'd rather not communicate the empty answer he knew. It would only make her blind search seem ingenious and frankly, that would be the worst type of therapy for her swollen head.

Brown eyes swooped to their corners, inspecting the orange-haired girl embracing her folded legs. He didn't know how or why, but her uncomfortable closeness called upon a need to be cautious; probably because he had already played victim to surprise. The damp clothing clung to his body as a cold reminder of this.

He blinked at the shine of something metallic on her wrist. "So, you're a duelist too?" He recognized the Duel Disk.

"Yep," Misty chimed, shooting to her feet. "And I'm also falling behind schedule!"

"Schedule?" He looked up to her with a puzzled expression.

"Well, I was expecting I'd be at least halfway into Viridian Forest by now." Azure orbs considered the descending sun with concern. Her figures fiddled almost unconsciously. She assumed, from his silence, that he didn't know what she was talking about. "See, Pallet Town's situated far on the other side of this huge forest. That's where I'm headed. That's Ash's hometown. Even if I don't find him there, I'm sure I can learn something that'll help my search."

At least that made sense, Takato thought. "But why the big hunt for this Ash person?"

Her shoulders dropped in a heavy sigh. She didn't say anything for a moment. "Let's go. I'll tell you on the way." She began for the Viridian Forest's wide entrance.

What did she mean 'let's go'? Did she really think he was that depressed to be tagging alongside her? "I'll pass. But hey, good luck anyway."

"If you stay there, you're the one who's going to need the luck," she spoke up as she continued to walk further away from him. "That little waterfront's the Beast's favourite drinking spot. When the sun goes down, he comes out. Be sure to say hi to him for me, will ya? If he let's you keep your mouth that is."

"Beast? Yeah right…" His thoughts were conflicting. He wouldn't doubt she would create a story just to scare him into following her, but at the same time, his limited knowledge of this place wasn't enough to call her supposed bluff. He shivered as a sudden howl reverberated from the nearby trees. His mind was made up. "Wait for me!"

**End of Chapter 3**


End file.
